lunes, 21 de septiembre de 2009
E-LEARNING FORUM
I invite all blog authors to share their views on this E-learning Forum. Try to think about advantages and disavantages of virtual learning environments in the ESL/EFL classrooms. Should virtual classroom replace traditional ones? Should educators implement computer-assissted activities in their teaching practices? Down below there's a poll for you to vote. But please, do make some postings on the subject, after you've read the notes so as to participate actively in this forum.
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E-learning is a new trend which provides students with benefits such as the possibility of sharing information and knowledge with people through the net, participating in forums, attending classes according to their conveniences since E-learning is self-paced. As regards the drawbacks this kind of learning may offer, the most important issue to take into consideration is that students never meet face-to-face because they study online, which sometimes makes it hard to provide engaging learning experiences for learners.
ResponderEliminarI consider that virtual classroom should not replace traditional ones but they might join togheter so as to make this interaction effective when teaching.
Mercedes
ResponderEliminarE-learning is based on distance education. This means that there is no face-to-face interaction, which makes it really difficult for teachers to keep the track of their learners' learning process.
On the other hand, this type of education enables people, who may have difficulties taking up a career because of distance or cost, to have access to education.
I believe that e-learning is a good way of enhancing traditional or face-to-face education. But I do not think it can replace the latter. Teachers can implement virtual learning as a complement of their teaching outside the classroom bearing in mind that all learners can have access to a computer and the Internet.
E-learning includes all types of technology-enhanced learning (TEL), where technology is used to support the learning process. It is used for web-based distance education, with no face-to-face interaction. As regards the drawbacks of e-learning, we can say that some students may feel isolated or miss social interaction, unmotivated learners or those with poor study habits may fall behind, also slow or unreliable Internet connections can be frustrating, and the most important disadvantage is that face-to-face communication is lost. However, e-learning facilitates education for those people who are not able to study at a university because of distance or cost. Other important benefits are that learners can study wherever they have access to a computer and internet; self-paced learning modules allow learners to work at their own pace, and different learning styles are addressed and facilitation of learning occurs through varied activities.
ResponderEliminarI think e-learning is an excellent tool to be applied in the education process, but I don’t think it should replace traditional classrooms. Considering that both methods for learning or teaching have their advantages and drawbacks, I believe the best way of getting an interesting and successful course would be to make a combination of both.
I think that teachers can blend e-learning with f2f interaction but not replaces it. Sometimes students have doubts and questions that need to be clarified with the teacher because a comment may lead to another and so on. As a method of distant education, e-learning is an excellent option and good results could be achieved but we need to consider that a lot of technology is required. Argentina is still having serious problems in education such as infrastracture, resources, basic knowledge to mention a few; this means that we have a long way till e-learning could be implemented and be accesible to everyone teachers and students.
ResponderEliminarI strongly agree with Mercedes’ views in the sense that, even though E-learning has its undeniable drawbacks, it has proven to be an excellent option for people living far away from big cities who cannot travel because or their jobs, their families, or just because of the difficult economic situation our country usually undergones.
ResponderEliminarShould the virtual classroom replace traditional ones? In my opinion it will not. I do not consider that many people can get used to lack of physical contact, today; and I do not think that they should, in the years to come. In this day and age, there might be some people who do not miss physical or visual contact, but I am almost certain that many do. Consequently, I do not feel this state of affairs should change in the near future. Need of eye contact and physical approach, constitutes a big issue that will prevent widespread substitution of one method for another. On the other hand, there already exists a complementation of both methods, in many institutes and in university, which has proved to be convenient in many respects. It allows students to submit assignments and keep track of the subjects during epidemics, strikes, as well as personal contingencies. All in all, it is a new strategy for learning and teaching which adds quality to the learning and teaching experience.
ResponderEliminarE-learning is beginning to take the centre stage in the trainig portfolio of many organizations and educational institutions alike.It has proved to be a beneficial instrument for learners and teachers even when it comes to teaching a foreign language.
ResponderEliminarGiven the easy access to the web, in today's fast-paced culture those organizations making use of this tool are gaining its benefits, for it is a fast process which reduces costs, since students do not need great amounts of time for travelling long distances or money to be invested at a university. In addition to this,teachers count with tools that will provide them with a clear accountability for all participants in the learning process and many applications, such as forums,which have been designed to make the virtual classroom as collaborative as possible.
However,I do not think it is sensible to think of a total replacement of traditional classrooms but actually a complementation of them.Face to face interaction continues to be a very important aspect for some,especially in language teaching.
A good strategy, which is actually in use, is for educators to implement computer-assisted activities as a follow-up for those activities presented in the physical classroom.
I agree with Lujan´s point of view.I´ve assited to Pete Sharma´s seminar and it was very nice.He introduced us to the world of E-learning and after that explained each of the new technologies or let´s say "machines" that are now being applied in England as well as is Germany and already developed countries in Europe, but unfortunately all that is very far from our reality and our education.At the same time I found the talk a bit futuristic or strange may be because, as I said before ,it´s not real to us.Hopefully some day e-learning will be in our classrooms.
ResponderEliminarThe concept of e-learning implies some advantages as well as disadvantages. On one hand, this web-based distance education is a relatively new method in which students have ready access to the latest and relevant information. Furthermore, lessons are planned based on informative content without considering any specific skill. Students on these virtual classrooms are able to self-manage their lesson according to each individual pace of learning being capable of pausing learning sessions according to their own convenience. In addition, this prove itself as an invaluable tool for sharing one's knowledge without physical, political nor economic boundaries; as it has a minimal or sometimes no costs. This kind of learning promotes cultural exchange as people from around the globe may join on the same virtual classroom.
ResponderEliminarOn the other hand, there are some drawbacks to distance learning. It lacks of a very powerful and enriching element: the face to face interaction. A teacher on a traditional classroom can be aware of her students' progress and motivation thanks to this interaction. This information comes from eye contact, body language and gesture among others. Besides, this way of learning promote individual over team work, as although group activities can be set, they will do them individually in front of a machine.
I don't think this new trend should replace the traditional classroom situation but instead teachers can make use of this valuable aid to complement and up-date their work.
There are many advantages as well as some disadvantages to this contentious issue. E-learning can bring major benefits to students, especially as regards distance learning. One of these is the increased access; people from all over the world have the chance to study on line in free of charge courses with the same convenience and information as an average traditional course. This gives them the great opportunity to stay at home and at the same time to study connected to the virtual class.
ResponderEliminarFurthermore, this leads us to another favourable advantage: convenience and flexibility. Learners are able to decide the pace of the lessons, days and timetable. It’s a golden opportunity for those students who work and cannot be attached to a fixed schedule. Learning sessions are available 24/7 and they can post them at their handiness.
On the other hand, there are also some drawbacks when it comes to learn something without face to face interaction. Key elements fostering learning are eye-contact and body language which do not take place in virtual classrooms. These can affect students who are more visual than others, this is to do with learning strategies, information is understood better if they can pay attention while the teacher speaks and explains. Learners need their teacher to be a complete dramatist, especially children. It is worth highlighting the lack of explanation in this classroom situation. As in any course there are topics that are more challenging than others, in most cases many students need paraphrasing and clearer examples that no one else but the teacher can provide. Last but not least higher education learners are also deficient in partner interaction, which is necessary for developing communication skills, companionship and team work.
I don’t believe e-learning should replace traditional education; there are some aspects of it which learners can not be deprived of. However, I do think this should help and provide another context to complement and make of today’s education a better tool for tomorrows.